New Year's Day Orange Flickering Lights Over Coronado, CA. Long line of up to 10 orange flickering lights appeared to have risen from beach or near shore ocean area. Travelling together in a staggered line stretched across what appeared to be 3 miles judging from ground references. High cloud reference provide altitude reference at less than 5,000 ft AGL. Continued rising and forming staggered lines with apparently random numbers of lights.Lights travelled in a roughly straight line northerly direction proceeding across the approach path to a Naval Air Station and adjacent bay continuing in direction of major airport. Lights appeared to be miniature candle-powered hot air balloons but travelled too fast to be propelled by wind only. Objects accelerated and decelerated. Some made minor directional changes. After crossing the bay and before reaching the main airport, objects varyingly: disappeared, turned to the east and faded, seemed to morph into a small collection of red and green lights so as to appear like a small aircraft, or did all three (3). Display continued for 10-15 minutes possibly including 30+ objects.After a brief pause, the lights began again coming from a more westerly direction, closer to the beach and rising from behind high-rise condos, this time proceeding more directly perpendicular to aircraft approach and travelling on what might have been a rendezvous path with the previous strings of lights. Light from the new direction lasted less than 5 minutes.Observers were part of local family, working professionals, former military, graduate level educations.((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD))